W-Clips are well know in the automotive industry to attach a cladding or panel to a support structure. W-Clips generally have a base plate with a stem extending therefrom. A pair of elastic tangs extend from the tip of the stem towards the base plate. A sealing flange is spaced from the base plate and extends about the base of the stem. The sealing flanges closes the aperture on the support structure. Examples of such clips are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,173,026; 6,689,863; 5,704,753; and 5,857,244.
The prior art W-Clips can be made as a single injection molding. Since the stem and base plate of the W-clip needs to be relatively rigid to provide sufficient support for the cladding or panel, the sealing flange will also be relatively rigid and thus provides only a limited amount of sealing.
Alternatively, the prior art W-Clips can be manufactured using an over-molding technique. The base plate and stem are first molded using a relatively rigid material and then a softer material is over molded to form the sealing flange.
Typically, the base of the stem has the same width as the rest of the stem. If a softer flange is over-molded onto the base of the stem, the slip could be inserted beyond the flange causing the flange to distort and reduce its effectiveness as a seal.
Alternatively, a more rigid flange could be initially molded and a softer material over-molded at the outer periphery of the flange. The more rigid flange prevents the clip from being over-inserted. However, the complexity and cost of the mold required to produce such a clip increases dramatically.
Thus, there exist a need for a simple W-clip which provides an effective sealing flange, which-cannot be over-installed and which is easily molded.